Jesus Christ: Crucified, Risen, __?____, and Coming Again

by Del Rossin

Recently my wife and I worshiped at an LCMS church in another state. Part of the creedal liturgy that morning was a responsive reading containing these words about Jesus: “was crucified, was risen from the dead, and is coming again.” Certainly those words are very true and they contain the heart of the saving Gospel of our salvation purchased and won for us by our precious Savior. Perhaps it was an oversight, but they left out a vital truth about Jesus that makes all the difference in our lives today. Is this omission symptomatic of a deeper problem in our church?

The creeds as well as much of the New Testament emphasize that Jesus Christ is alive in heaven and on earth between the time of his resurrection and his coming again. He has “all power in heaven and on earth.” The Christian faith is not only a confession of what Jesus DID in past history, but also we, his Body, have him “with us always till the end of the world” as a LIVING SAVIOR. This is not a minor issue. On Pentecost, in reference to the miracles witnessed that day, Peter proclaims: “He (Jesus) has poured out this which you see and hear.” Or as an Easter hymn states: “I serve a risen Savior, he’s in the world today, I know that he is LIVING, no matter what men say” (or don’t say).

We can have all the past truths down pat; but if we do not confess and live the truth that our Jesus is alive today, we are spiritually poor and not much help for a dying world. How can we have Jesus’ “real presence” in Holy Communion if he is not alive today? How can we pray for guidance and help from Jesus if he is not alive and able to help us? As I read the history of the New Testament Church, page after page rings out with words and events from a living Savior who was with them and in them every day. That was past “history,” but he’s still alive today to also make it “His Story” in our lives, Hallelujah!

At the above church we visited, the pastor preached an accurate sermon that certainly contained the saving Gospel. But there wasn’t one word of application to our everyday life. I wonder if in our “confessional” concern to get the Law and Gospel declared, we often overlook the help for our daily lives that Jesus can bring. (“There’s nothing more to salvation than Jesus, but there’s more to Jesus than salvation”)

I firmly believe that every sermon “worth its salt” must have a clear articulation of the Law and the saving Gospel. But I also believe that every sermon must apply the Scriptures to help our people in their daily lives . . . check out the Sermon on the Mount again.

Listen to Martin Luther on this subject: “For there is no such Christ that died for sinners who do not, after the forgiveness of sins, desist from sins and lead a new life. . . . They may be fine Easter preachers, but they are very poor Pentecost preachers, for they do not preach . . . ‘about the sanctification by the Holy Spirit,’ but solely about the redemption of the Jesus Christ, although Christ (whom they extol so highly, and rightly so) is Christ, that is, he has purchased redemption from sin and death so that the Holy Spirit might transform us out of the old Adam into new men . . . Christ did not earn only gratia ‘grace,’ for us, but also donum , the gift of the Holy Spirit,’ so that we might have not only forgiveness of, but also cessation of, sin” (LW41, p. 114). It seems to me that brother Martin wanted people to know that the living Jesus could help people overcome sin and to lead holier lives as he continues to send the Holy Spirit to help us. In the LCMS we are often very weak when it comes to sanctification. The LCMS continues on its numerical decline even as you read this article. Could one of the reasons be that people are “checking out” and looking for churches where the Word of God is applied to their marriages, families, jobs, etc.? Without a living Jesus “with us always,” prayer and worship can become mere dead rituals. Other so-called “men of God” like Mohammed also lived, but they also died and are STILL DEAD. Jesus Christ is ALIVE TODAY and we better live that truth and let everyone know that he’s still in the “saving” business. He’s in the world today as Head of his Body, the Church; that’s us folks!

Ponder this glorious truth and you can’t help but worship and serve him till you see him face to face. And as I write this, I can’t help but have a broad smile on my face. People need to see the joy of the Lord in us, because he is ALIVE today and is WITH and IN us as his followers. Amen?

Del Rossin

Editor and Director: RIM